JP2022118341A - Method, server and terminal device for assisting collective management of batteries loaded on plurality of vehicles, respectively - Google Patents

Abstract

To assist the collective management of batteries loaded on a plurality of vehicles, respectively.SOLUTION: A method is to assist the collective management of batteries 4a of a plurality of vehicles 4. Vehicle information containing vehicle identification information, vehicle position information and battery voltage information is obtained from each of the vehicles 4. A plurality of sub areas 80 is designed in a vehicle storage area 5. A charging necessary vehicle 4' that needs charging is extracted. A first display D1 that displays determination information on the charging necessary vehicle 4' is displayed on a terminal device 2 in a manner divided into each of the sub areas 80. When a predetermined operation is made on the terminal device 2, for the charging necessary vehicle 4' in a managing sub area 80a, a second display D2 that displays the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information is displayed on the terminal device 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosed technology relates to a method, a server, and a terminal device that support collective management of batteries installed in each of a plurality of vehicles.

Regarding the technology to be disclosed, a remote vehicle management system including a vehicle, a server, and a mobile phone is disclosed (Patent Document 1). In this remote vehicle management system, the vehicle owner operates a mobile phone to send a request mail to the server. This allows owners to remotely manage their own vehicles. Specifically, confirmation of the vehicle position, door opening/closing operation, and battery charging can be performed by remote control.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-334862

Shipping ports, shipping companies, dealers, etc. have locations for storing large numbers of vehicles. In such locations, it is necessary to maintain the stored vehicles in order to maintain the quality of the vehicles.

For example, a battery installed in a vehicle will drop in voltage if left unattended. If the battery voltage remains low, the battery will degrade irreversibly. Therefore, the battery needs to be charged periodically and managed so that the voltage is maintained at a predetermined value or more.

Therefore, in places where a large number of vehicles are stored as described above, in addition to checking the status of the vehicles, the voltage of the batteries installed in the vehicles is also managed. . That is, the vehicle that needs to be charged is selected from a large number of stored vehicles. After that, the worker who performs the management work goes to the place where the vehicle is parked and finds the target vehicle. Then, the state of the vehicle such as the appearance of the vehicle is checked. At the same time, the operator charges the battery.

For example, shipping ports typically have hundreds of vehicles stored in vast spaces. Since the number of vehicles is enormous, it is not easy to select a vehicle that needs charging from among these vehicles. In addition, because the space is vast, it takes time and effort for workers to go to the place where the vehicle that needs to be charged is parked. Since many similar vehicles are parked, it is difficult for the worker to find the target vehicle among them.

Moreover, it usually takes a long time to charge the battery. For example, when the battery is charged by driving the engine, it takes several hours for the voltage of the battery to reach an appropriate value. Therefore, at present, one worker can manage the voltage of the batteries of only several units per day.

In particular, it is expected that the number of electrical components mounted on vehicles will increase in the future. As the number of electrical components increases, the power consumption of the stored vehicles also increases. Since the voltage of the battery is also likely to drop, there is a high possibility that the workload for its management will increase.

Therefore, there is a demand for a technique that can reduce the work load by supporting the collective management of the batteries mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles.

It is also conceivable to apply the remote vehicle management system described above and charge the battery by remote control. However, the remote vehicle management system described above targets one vehicle owned by the user. As such, the managing owner only has to manage specific vehicles and batteries. The managing owner is also familiar with the condition of the vehicle and the battery, such as type of vehicle, age of use, and so on. Therefore, its management is easy.

On the other hand, in the case of the storage vehicles as described above, the number of target vehicles is large. Moreover, the operator who manages must target unspecified vehicles whose conditions are unknown. Therefore, its management is difficult.

Furthermore, when the engine is remotely started to charge the battery, even if trouble occurs, it cannot be dealt with immediately. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure safety. On the other hand, if the operator starts the engine while checking the vehicle immediately, even if trouble occurs, it can be dealt with immediately. Therefore, safety can be ensured.

Therefore, this specification discloses a technique for assisting collective management of batteries mounted in each of a plurality of vehicles.

The disclosed technique relates to a method of supporting collective management of batteries mounted in each of a plurality of vehicles parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area. The method includes the following acts.

Obtaining vehicle information from each of the vehicles, including vehicle identification information enabling identification of the vehicle, vehicle position information enabling identification of the location of the vehicle, and battery voltage information regarding the voltage of the battery. . A plurality of sub-areas are set in the vehicle storage area. Based on the battery voltage information, vehicles that require charging are extracted from the plurality of vehicles. A predetermined portable terminal device is caused to display a first display that displays the determination information regarding the vehicle requiring charging in a state of being divided into each of the sub-areas. When a predetermined operation is performed on the terminal device based on the first display, the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information are displayed for the vehicle requiring charging in the management sub-area selected from the sub-areas. A second display to be displayed on the terminal device.

That is, the method targets a plurality of vehicles parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area, and supports collective management of the batteries installed in each of these vehicles. Vehicle information is obtained from each of these vehicles. Each vehicle's location, characteristics, and battery voltage are thereby identified. A plurality of sub-areas are further set in the vehicle storage area. The vehicle storage area is thereby subdivided.

Based on the battery voltage information, vehicles that need to be charged are extracted. Vehicles requiring battery management are thereby identified. Then, the portable terminal device is caused to display the first display in which the determination information regarding the vehicle requiring charging is displayed in a state of being divided into each of the sub-areas. As a result, vehicles that require battery management can be determined for each subdivided area at any location. Therefore, the area to be managed (management sub-area) can be narrowed down more appropriately. Since the scope of management is effectively limited, work efficiency is improved.

Then, when a predetermined operation is performed on the terminal device based on the first display, the terminal device is caused to display the second display that displays the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information for the vehicles requiring charging in the management subarea. Thereby, for example, the second display can be displayed near the site. Then, near the site, the vehicle requiring battery management can be specified by the second display. Therefore, it is possible to easily and appropriately find a vehicle for which management work is to be performed.

Thus, according to this method, it is possible to effectively support collective management of the batteries mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles. Work efficiency can be improved and the burden of management work can be reduced.

The method also includes a method in which the determination information includes a minimum voltage value that is the lowest voltage value of the battery among the vehicles to be charged parked in the same sub-area, and the minimum voltage value is the first sub-area. Each of the sub-areas of the display may be displayed.

The lower the voltage value of the battery, the more easily irreversible deterioration progresses. Therefore, by displaying the lowest voltage value in the same sub-area in each sub-area of the first display, it is possible to determine the priority of the battery management work. Easier selection of management sub-areas.

The method also includes the determining information including a number of the vehicles requiring charging parked in the same sub-area, wherein the number of vehicles requiring charging is displayed in each of the sub-areas in the first display. may be allowed.

Knowing the number of vehicles needing charging parked in the same sub-area can predict the amount of battery maintenance work that needs to be done in that sub-area. Therefore, selection of management sub-areas is facilitated.

The method also includes displaying the positions of the vehicles parked in the management sub-area, including the positions of the vehicles to be charged, on the terminal device when causing the second display to be displayed on the terminal device. , and the vehicle identification information of the vehicle adjacent to the vehicle to be charged may be displayed together with the vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged.

If the position of the vehicle is illustrated on the terminal device in the form of a map, the position of the vehicle can be visually recognized. Therefore, it becomes easy to identify the vehicle to be charged. However, if there is the same vehicle as the vehicle requiring charging in the management sub-area, even if the vehicle requiring charging can be identified, it cannot be determined from the appearance. Therefore, the vehicle requiring charging cannot be found from a distance. On the other hand, if it is possible to identify vehicles adjacent to the vehicle requiring charging together with the vehicle requiring charging, it is possible to determine from the combination of these vehicles. Therefore, the vehicle requiring charging can be found even from a distance.

The method also includes displaying the positions of the vehicles parked in the management sub-area, including the positions of the vehicles to be charged, on the terminal device when causing the second display to be displayed on the terminal device. , the terminal position information that enables the position of the terminal device to be specified is acquired from the terminal device, and when a predetermined operation is performed on the terminal device, the vehicle position information of the charging-required vehicle And, based on the terminal position information, a route from the terminal device to the vehicle to be charged may be calculated, and the route may be displayed on the second display.

If a route from the terminal device to the vehicle requiring charging is displayed on the second display, the vehicle requiring charging can be reached by following the route. Therefore, it is easy to find a vehicle that needs to be charged.

The method also causes the terminal device to map the locations of all the vehicles parked in the vehicle storage area, and setting at least one of the sub-areas based on the map to the terminal device. It may be performed by operating the device.

If the positions of all vehicles parked in the vehicle storage area are shown on the terminal device in the form of a map, all vehicles that can be managed can be visually grasped. Therefore, it is possible to effectively support appropriate setting of sub-areas.

The method also calculates, for all the vehicles parked in the vehicle storage area, a distance between adjacent vehicles, and at least any one of the plurality of sub-area settings includes: , by identifying a group of said vehicles parked in close proximity such that said distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

Vehicles parked in the vehicle storage area are generally distributed in a dense manner in multiple locations. Therefore, a sub-area can be appropriately set by specifying a group of vehicles that are stopped in close proximity to each other and whose distance between adjacent vehicles is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Moreover, the subarea setting can be automated.

The disclosed technology also relates to a server that supports collective management of batteries installed in each of a plurality of vehicles parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area.

The server stores each of the plurality of vehicles and a predetermined portable terminal device, an interface that enables input and output of predetermined vehicle information, the vehicle information and a predetermined control program via a network. A memory and a processor that processes the vehicle information by executing the control program.

The vehicle information includes vehicle storage area information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle storage area, vehicle identification information that enables identification of the vehicle, vehicle location information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle, and It includes battery voltage information about the voltage of said battery. Then, the processor cooperates with the terminal device to execute a plurality of processes described below.

A process of obtaining the information by requesting each of the vehicles to output the vehicle identification information, the vehicle position information, and the battery voltage information based on a command input from the terminal device;
A process of setting a plurality of sub-areas in the vehicle storage area based on the vehicle storage area information;
a process of extracting a vehicle requiring charging from among the plurality of vehicles based on the battery voltage information;
A process of causing the terminal device to display a first display that displays the judgment information about the vehicle requiring charging in a state of being divided into each of the sub-areas;
and, when a predetermined command is input from the terminal device, a second display for displaying the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information for the vehicle requiring charging in the management sub-area selected from the sub-areas. , a process of displaying on the terminal device.

That is, this server is used in the support method described above. The server supports collective battery management by executing the above-described processing. Therefore, similar to the support method described above, according to this server, it is possible to effectively support collective management of the batteries mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles. Work efficiency can be improved and the burden of management work can be reduced.

The technology disclosed also relates to a portable terminal device that supports collective management of batteries mounted in each of a plurality of vehicles parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area.

The terminal device includes a predetermined server, an interface for inputting and outputting predetermined vehicle information via a network, a memory for storing the vehicle information and a predetermined control program, and executing the control program. A processor for processing vehicle information, a display for displaying information processed by the processor, and a device capable of inputting a command for requesting the processor to execute a predetermined process are provided.

The vehicle information includes vehicle storage area information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle storage area, vehicle identification information that enables identification of the vehicle, vehicle location information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle, and It includes battery voltage information about the voltage of said battery. Then, the processor cooperates with the server to execute a plurality of processes described below.

A process of obtaining the information by requesting each of the vehicles to output the vehicle identification information, the vehicle position information, and the battery voltage information based on a command input from the device;
A process of setting a plurality of sub-areas in the vehicle storage area based on the vehicle storage area information;
a process of extracting a vehicle requiring charging from among the plurality of vehicles based on the battery voltage information;
a process of causing the display to display a first display that displays the determination information regarding the vehicle requiring charging in a state of being divided into each of the sub-areas;
and the vehicle identification information of the charging required vehicle for the charging required vehicle in a management sub-area selected from the sub-areas when a predetermined command is input based on the first display by the device. and a process of causing the display to display a second display that displays the vehicle position information.

That is, this terminal device is used in the support method described above. The terminal device supports collective battery management by executing the above-described processing. Therefore, similar to the support method described above, according to this terminal device, it is possible to effectively support collective management of the batteries mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles. Work efficiency can be improved and the burden of management work can be reduced.

According to the disclosed technology, it is possible to effectively support collective management of batteries mounted in each of a plurality of vehicles. Therefore, the burden of management work can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a support system based on the technology disclosed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functional configurations of the server and the terminal device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a table of vehicle storage area information. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a table of vehicle identification information. FIG. 5 is a diagram exemplifying a vehicle storage area used in explaining the support method. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the overall flow of processing in the support method. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the overall display. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a subarea setting method. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of setting subareas. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of setting subareas. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the first display. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the second display. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a second display showing a route. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the third display.

Embodiments of the disclosed technology will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an example of the technology disclosed.

<Support system>
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a system (hereinafter simply referred to as a support system) that supports collective management of a plurality of batteries 4a based on the technology disclosed. This support system includes a prescribed server 1 and a prescribed terminal device 2 .

These server 1 and terminal device 2 are configured to communicate with a plurality of vehicles 4 via a network 3 . These multiple vehicles 4 are targets of support in the support system. That is, the plurality of batteries 4a described above are the batteries 4a (in-vehicle batteries) mounted in each of the plurality of vehicles 4 . These multiple vehicles 4 are parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area 5 .

The vehicle storage area 5 is a place where a large number of vehicles 4 are stored in a dense state. Specific examples of the vehicle storage area 5 are, for example, transportation ports, transportation companies, and dealers. A vehicle storage area 5 can be a place where a large number of vehicles 4 are stored in close proximity for a relatively long period of time.

(vehicle)
The vehicle 4 (vehicle) is, for example, an automobile, a motorcycle, or the like. In particular, automobiles are preferable as targets for support by this support system. Therefore, in this embodiment, the description will be made assuming that the automobile is the vehicle 4 . The vehicle 4 is equipped with a battery 4a mainly as a power supply for electrical components.

The battery 4a is generally a lead-acid battery that outputs a voltage of 12V. If the battery 4a is left unattended, the battery 4a will discharge and the voltage will drop. Then, when the voltage drops, it deteriorates irreversibly (so-called sulfation). Therefore, the battery 4a needs to be charged regularly and maintained at an appropriate voltage even when not in use.

For example, it can be determined that a battery 4a with a voltage lower than 12.6V needs to be charged. The battery 4a that needs to be charged must be charged to 12.6V or higher. Normally, the battery is charged until it reaches full charge (approximately 13V). In the case of normal charging by engine driving, it takes several hours to reach full charge. The support system supports collective management of the voltages of such a large number of batteries 4a.

The vehicle 4 in this embodiment runs by being driven by the engine. The vehicle 4 may be an electric vehicle that is driven by a motor, or a hybrid vehicle that is driven by both an engine and a motor. In addition to the battery 4a, the vehicle 4 is equipped with various electrical components such as a headlight, a hazard lamp, a horn, and an air conditioner.

The vehicle 4 is also equipped with a controller that controls the operation of the engine (motor). That is, each vehicle 4 is equipped with an electronic device 4b such as these electrical components and a controller powered by the battery 4a together with the battery 4a. The vehicle 4 has an in-vehicle network (Controller Area Network: CAN) 4c. The battery 4a and the electronic device 4b described above are connected to this in-vehicle network 4c.

Each vehicle 4 is also equipped with an in-vehicle device 4d that constitutes a support system. This in-vehicle device 4d is also connected to the in-vehicle network 4c. The in-vehicle device 4d communicates with the battery 4a and the electronic device 4b via the in-vehicle network 4c. The in-vehicle device 4d includes a communication device 10, an in-vehicle memory 11, an in-vehicle processor 12, a vehicle control device 13, a vehicle positioning device 14, and the like.

The communication device 10 enables connection with an external network 3 . That is, each of these vehicles 4 can communicate with an external device via a WAN (Wide Area Network) (so-called connected car).

The in-vehicle memory 11 stores vehicle information about the vehicle 4 and control programs. That is, vehicle identification information that enables identification of the vehicle 4 is stored in the vehicle-mounted memory 11 . The vehicle identification information is, for example, a vehicle identification number (VIN), a vehicle type name, a vehicle body color, and the like. The control program is software and contains control instructions required to receive assistance in the vehicle 4 .

The in-vehicle processor 12 executes various processes related to assistance according to the control program. For example, the vehicle control device 13 controls the battery 4a and each electronic device 4b in response to a request from the onboard processor 12 . The vehicle control device 13 also acquires information on the voltage of the battery 4a (battery voltage information) in response to a request from the in-vehicle processor 12 using the in-vehicle network 4c.

The vehicle control device 13 outputs the acquired battery voltage information to the in-vehicle processor 12 . Based on this battery voltage information, the voltage value of the battery 4a is specified. The battery voltage information may be the voltage value itself of the battery 4a.

The vehicle positioning device 14 is a device such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) capable of positioning the position of the vehicle 4 with high accuracy. The vehicle positioning device 14 measures the position of the vehicle 4 in response to a request from the in-vehicle processor 12 and outputs information on the measured values (vehicle position information) to the in-vehicle processor 12 . The in-vehicle processor 12 also outputs each of the vehicle identification information, the vehicle position information, and the battery voltage information to the terminal device 2 or the server 1 according to commands (information regarding instructions) input from the terminal device 2 or the server 1. .

(server)
Server 1 is a high-performance, non-portable computer that constitutes a support system. The server 1 has a server interface 20, a server memory 21, an I/O device 22, a monitor 23, a server processor 24, etc. as hardware. Server 1 is connected to network 3 via server interface 20 . Thereby, the server 1 can input/output information with each of the plurality of vehicles 4 and the terminal devices 2 .

The server 1 also has, as software, a control program for executing each process of the support system and data used for it. These control programs and data are stored in the server memory 21 . The data includes vehicle information acquired from multiple vehicles 4 . Data is stored in the server memory 21 . The data stored in the server memory 21 are rewritten or erased as required.

The I/O device 22 includes equipment that enables information to be input to the server 1, such as a keyboard and mouse. I/O devices 22 also include equipment that enables the output of information from server 1, such as a printer. By inputting a command, the server processor 24 can be requested to execute a predetermined process. Monitor 23 displays information processed by server processor 24 in response to commands input by I/O device 22 .

The server processor 24 executes the control program according to commands input from the I/O device 22 or commands input from the terminal device 2 . The server processor 24 processes various information including vehicle information by executing a control program.

(Terminal device)
The terminal device 2 is a portable computer that constitutes a support system. For example, a tablet PC, a smart phone, or the like can be used as the terminal device 2 . The terminal device 2 has a terminal positioning device 30, a terminal interface 31, a terminal memory 32, an input device 33, a display 34, a terminal processor 35, etc. as hardware.

The terminal device 2 is connected to the network 3 via a terminal interface 31 . Thereby, the terminal device 2 can input and output information with each of the plurality of vehicles 4 and the server 1 .

The terminal positioning device 30 is a device such as GNSS that can position the position of the terminal device 2 with high accuracy. The terminal positioning device 30 measures the position of the terminal device 2 in response to a request from the terminal processor 35 and outputs information on the measured value (terminal position information) to the terminal processor 35 .

The terminal device 2 also has, as software, a control program for executing each process of the support system and data used for it. These control programs and data are stored in the terminal memory 32 . The data includes vehicle information obtained from multiple vehicles 4 via the server 1 . The data are stored in terminal memory 32 . The data stored in the terminal memory 32 are rewritten or erased as required.

The input device 33 includes equipment such as a touch pen that enables information input to the terminal device 2 . By inputting a command, the terminal processor 35 can be requested to execute a process. From the viewpoint of portability, the input device 33 is preferably a touch panel that can be operated with a fingertip. In that case, the display 34 functions as a touch panel, and displays information processed by the processor according to commands input with a touch pen, fingertip, or the like. A display 34 functioning as a touch panel constitutes an input device 33 .

The terminal processor 35 executes control programs based on commands entered by the input device 33 . The terminal processor 35 processes various information including vehicle information by executing a control program.

In this support system, commands input from the terminal device 2 are also output to the server 1 . Then, based on the command, server processor 24 executes the control program. That is, various processes related to support are executed in each of the terminal device 2 and the server 1 based on commands input at the terminal device 2 . The server 1 and the terminal device 2 cooperate with each other to perform various processes related to support.

Generally, the performance of hardware such as memory and processor is higher in the server 1 than in the terminal device 2 . The storage capacity of the memory of the server 1 is also larger than that of the terminal device 2 . Therefore, it is preferable that the server 1 performs complex processing and the terminal device 2 performs simple processing. The server 1 and the terminal device 2 complement each other by taking advantage of their respective features. By doing so, various processes related to support are efficiently performed. A series of processes to be described later is an example thereof.

(Functional configuration of server and terminal device)
FIG. 2 shows functional configurations of the server 1 and the terminal device 2. As shown in FIG. Each of the server 1 and the terminal device 2 has a functional configuration. These functional configurations are realized by a combination of hardware such as a processor and software such as a control program.

The server 1 has a server communication section 40, a server information processing section 41, and a server database 42 as its functional configuration. The terminal device 2 has a terminal communication section 50, a terminal information processing section 51, and a terminal database 52 as its functional configuration.

The server communication unit 40 communicates with each of the plurality of vehicles 4 and the terminal devices 2 via the network 3 . The server information processing section 41 processes various information input through the server communication section 40 and information stored in the server database 42 . Then, the server information processing section 41 outputs the processed information to each of the plurality of vehicles 4 and the terminal devices 2 through the server communication section 40 .

The server database 42 stores various information input through the server communication unit 40 and information obtained by processing the information in the server information processing unit 41 based on the information. The server database 42 stores vehicle information such as vehicle storage area information, vehicle identification information, vehicle position information, and battery voltage information.

The vehicle storage area information is information that enables specification of the position of the vehicle storage area 5 . The vehicle storage area information includes position information specifying the range that defines the area by latitude, longitude, and the like. Vehicle storage area information can be acquired using, for example, GNSS.

The vehicle storage area information must be registered in advance in the server database 42 in association with each of the vehicle storage areas 5 that can be supported. For example, the information may be entered using the I/O device 22 and stored in the server database 42 . Vehicle storage area information is stored in a predetermined table of the server database 42 .

FIG. 3 illustrates a table 60 of vehicle storage area information. Seven vehicle storage areas 5, A1 to A7, are registered in this table 60. FIG. Each of these position information L1 to L7 is stored in association with each of the vehicle storage areas 5. FIG. One or more pieces of vehicle storage area information may be stored in the table 60 in advance.

The vehicle identification information stored in the server database 42 is an aggregate of vehicle identification information, and is composed of vehicle identification information of a plurality of vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 . Individual vehicle identification information is stored in the vehicle-mounted memory 11 of each vehicle 4 . These vehicle identification information are acquired by the server 1 from each vehicle 4 via the network 3 . Those vehicle identification information are temporarily stored in a predetermined table of the server database 42 .

FIG. 4 illustrates a table 61 of vehicle identification information. This table 61 stores vehicle identification information of all vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 . Each piece of vehicle identification information is composed of a vehicle identification number, a vehicle type name, a vehicle body color, and the like. These pieces of information are associated with each other.

It is preferable to register the vehicle identification information in the table 61 in advance. At least the vehicle identification number must be registered in the table 61 while the vehicle 4 is stored in the vehicle storage area 5 . For example, the vehicle identification information is input or deleted using the I/O device 22 each time the vehicle 4 is loaded and unloaded. By doing so, the vehicle identification information may be stored in the server database 42 for a certain period of time.

The vehicle position information stored in the server database 42 is a collection of information indicating the positions of the multiple vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 . Each vehicle 4 outputs vehicle position information of the vehicle 4 to the server 1 according to a command input from the server 1 . The server database 42 temporarily stores the vehicle identification information obtained from each vehicle 4 in association with the vehicle identification information of the corresponding vehicle 4 .

The battery voltage information stored in the server database 42 is an aggregate of battery voltage information, and consists of battery voltage information for each of the plurality of vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 . Each vehicle 4 outputs battery voltage information of the vehicle 4 to the server 1 according to a command input from the server 1 . The battery voltage information acquired from each vehicle 4 is temporarily stored in the server database 42 while being associated with the vehicle identification information of the corresponding vehicle 4 .

The terminal communication unit 50 communicates with the server 1 via the network 3 . The terminal information processing section 51 processes various information input from the server 1 through the terminal communication section 50 and information stored in the terminal database 52 . Then, the terminal information processing section 51 outputs the processed information to the server 1 through the terminal communication section 50 . The terminal database 52 stores various information input through the terminal communication unit 50 and information obtained by processing the information in the terminal information processing unit 51 based on the information.

The terminal device 2 is carried by a worker who performs management work. From the viewpoint of portability of the terminal device 2, the main processing is performed by the server 1 in the support system of this embodiment. The terminal device 2 acquires the minimum necessary vehicle information from the server 1 via the network 3 as necessary. Accordingly, the terminal database 52 temporarily stores a relatively small amount of vehicle information, that is, vehicle storage area information, vehicle identification information, vehicle position information, battery voltage information, and the like.

The terminal device 2 is mainly used as a tool for an operator to input commands for support-related processing. Therefore, in the terminal device 2, the display of the display 34 functioning as a touch panel is devised in order to facilitate the input of commands that involve situation determination (details will be described later).

<Support method>
A support method using the support system described above will be described. This assistance method is intended for a plurality of vehicles 4 parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area 5 . This support method supports collective management of the batteries 4a mounted on each of these vehicles 4. FIG.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the vehicle storage area 5. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 represents the vehicle storage area 5 of the transport port. The vehicle storage area 5 is divided into a vast space provided in one section of the port. In FIG. 5, three vehicle storage areas 5 consisting of 5A, 5B and 5C are defined. Each of these vehicle storage areas 5 stores a plurality of vehicles 4 on a scale of several hundred, for example.

As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, each vehicle storage area 5 is further divided into a plurality of parking areas 70 so that the vehicles 4 can be parked one by one. A track 71 through which the vehicle 4 can pass is provided between the parking areas 70 . Vehicles 4 of various types and colors that have been transported by ship are stored in these parking areas 70 until they are handed over to the transportation company.

In the meantime, these vehicles 4 need to be maintained in order to maintain their quality. For example, for each vehicle 4, predetermined confirmation work such as an appearance check and an engine operation is performed at intervals. Along with the confirmation work, the work of managing the voltage of the battery 4a mounted on each vehicle 4 is also performed.

That is, the vehicle 4 that needs to be charged is selected from the stored vehicles 4 . After that, the worker goes to the place where the vehicle 4 is parked and finds the target vehicle 4 . Then, the vehicle 4 is checked and the battery 4a is charged.

However, a huge number of vehicles 4 are stored in the vehicle storage area 5 . Moreover, there are many vehicles 4 that are difficult to distinguish, such as vehicles 4 having the same color and model, and vehicles 4 having the same model but different only in color. Therefore, it is not easy to find a vehicle 4 that needs charging from among these vehicles 4 . Further, since the vehicle storage area 5 has a large space, it takes labor and time for the worker to go to the vehicle 4 that needs to be charged.

Furthermore, the charging time of the battery 4a is generally long. For example, when the battery 4a is charged by driving the engine, it takes several hours for the voltage of the battery 4a to reach an appropriate value. Therefore, the actual number of vehicles that can be charged by one worker is about several per day. It is extremely inefficient and needs improvement.

Therefore, in this support method, collective management of the batteries 4a is supported so that such work can be performed easily and efficiently. That is, this support method uses the support system described above to execute information acquisition processing, entire display processing, sub-area setting processing, object extraction processing, first display processing, second display processing, and guidance processing. including the act of These actions support collective management of the battery 4a. Details of these actions will be described later.

Here, the information acquisition process is a process of acquiring vehicle identification information, vehicle position information, and battery voltage information from each of the vehicles 4 . The overall display process is a process of causing the terminal device 2 to show the positions of all the vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 in the form of a map. The sub-area setting process is a process of setting a plurality of sub-areas 80 in the vehicle storage area 5. FIG. The target extraction process is a process of extracting a vehicle 4 that needs to be charged (a vehicle that needs to be charged 4') from among the plurality of vehicles 4 based on the battery voltage information.

The first display process is a process of causing the terminal device 2 to display the first display D<b>1 that displays the determination information regarding the charging required vehicle 4 ′ in a state of being divided into each of the sub-areas 80 . In the second display process, when an operation to select the management sub-area 80a from the sub-areas 80 is performed on the terminal device 2 based on the first display D1, the vehicle is parked in the management sub-area 80a. This is a process of causing the terminal device 2 to display the second display D2 that displays the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information of the charging required vehicle 4' that is in the current state. The guidance process is a process of guiding the vehicle 4' to be charged.

FIG. 6 shows a specific example of these processes. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the overall flow of these processes. In FIG. 6 , the leftmost sequence represents the flow of processing executed in the vehicle 4 . Although there are a plurality of vehicles 4 (usually several hundred), only vehicles 4 that do not require charging and vehicles 4 that require charging (requiring charging vehicles 4') are shown here for convenience. . In FIG. 6, the central sequence represents the flow of processing executed in the server 1. FIG. In FIG. 6 , the rightmost sequence represents the flow of processing executed in the terminal device 2 .

As described above, the server 1 (server database 42) stores vehicle storage area information and vehicle identification information in advance. In this description, it is assumed that one of the three vehicle storage areas 5A, 5B, and 5C shown in FIG. 5 is managed. The vehicle storage area 5 to be managed is not limited to one place. It can be set arbitrarily at multiple locations.

First, the terminal device 2 is carried by a worker who performs management work. Here, the terminal device 2 is described as a tablet PC. Then, the operator operates the terminal device 2, more specifically, the display 34, and activates a predetermined application for executing assistance (step ST1). As a result, in the terminal device 2 and the server 1, the terminal information processing section 51 and the server information processing section 41 start executing a series of processes related to support.

The operator operates the display 34 and inputs a command for instructing transmission of vehicle information (step ST2). As a result, the terminal device 2 (specifically, the terminal information processing unit 51; the same applies hereinafter in this description) outputs the vehicle information (specifically, the vehicle identification information, the vehicle position information, and the battery voltage information) to the vehicle. 4, a command C1 is output to the server 1 (more specifically, the server information processing section 41, the same applies hereinafter in this description).

Based on the command C1, the server 1 simultaneously transmits a command C2 instructing transmission of the vehicle information to all the vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 (step SS1). Note that the processing of steps ST2 and SS1 may be automatically performed by starting an application.

In each vehicle 4, when the command C2 is input, the in-vehicle processor 12 outputs vehicle information D1 including vehicle identification information, vehicle position information, and battery voltage information to the server 1 (step SV1). In addition, when the vehicle identification information is registered in the server database 42 in advance, the output of the vehicle identification information to the server 1 is not essential.

Steps ST1 and ST2 in the terminal device 2, step SS1 in the server 1, and SV1 in the vehicle 4 correspond to the information acquisition process described above.

When the vehicle information D1 is input from each vehicle 4, the server 1 outputs to the terminal device 2 a command C3 instructing the overall display DT (step SS2). The terminal device 2 displays the entire display DT on the display 34 when the command C3 is input. Here, the overall display DT is a display that shows the positions of all the vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 in the form of a map.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the entire display DT. In the overall display DT, the entire target vehicle storage area 5 is shown in map form on the screen of the display 34 . In the illustrated vehicle storage area 5 , the distribution of the vehicles 4 parked there is displayed in correspondence with the display of the vehicle storage area 5 . In FIG. 7 , each of the rectangular marks M1 represents the vehicle 4 . Note that the form of the mark M1 is an example.

When the overall display DT is performed, for example, vehicle storage area information and vehicle position information of each vehicle 4 are transmitted from the server 1 to the terminal device 2 . The terminal device 2 executes a process of showing the entire display DT on the display 34 based on these pieces of information.

The full display DT displayed on the display 34 can be enlarged and reduced. For example, by performing a pinch operation (an operation like pinching with two fingers) on the display 34, the entire display DT may be enlarged or reduced. This is effective when the display 34 is small like a smart phone, or when the vehicle storage area 5 is large.

Step ST3 in the terminal device 2 and step SS2 in the server 1 correspond to the whole display process described above.

The operator operates the terminal device 2 based on the illustrated overall display DT to set the sub-area 80 . A plurality of sub-areas 80 are set in the vehicle storage area 5 . A sub-area 80 subdivides the plurality of vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 into smaller clusters.

A number of vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 are arbitrarily subdivided by setting sub-areas 80 . For example, if there are areas that are clearly not subject to management, such as areas that were subject to management the previous day, these areas can be excluded in advance by setting sub-areas 80 . By setting the sub-area 80, the number of vehicles 4 to be managed and the area can be narrowed down. Work efficiency is improved.

Various methods are conceivable for setting the sub-area 80 . FIG. 8 shows an example of a method by an operator (manual method). One of them is to touch the screen of the display 34 with a fingertip or a touch pen to surround the sub-area 80 as indicated by the arrow Y1. Another method is to display a rectangular frame on the screen of the display 34 and surround the sub-area 80 with the frame, as indicated by the thin solid line L1. The frame can be displayed in any position with any size and shape by specifying two diagonal points P1 and P2 on the screen. Note that the frame may be circular.

Subareas 80 may be set in advance. For example, when registering vehicle storage area information, sub-area information may also be registered. Specifically, the server database 42 stores sub-area information that enables the position of the sub-area 80 to be specified in association with the vehicle storage area information. Then, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 8, the sub-area 80 can be automatically displayed together with the entire display DT.

The number of subareas 80 may be specified by the operator, and the subareas 80 may be set accordingly. That is, the terminal device 2 equally divides the vehicle storage area 5 according to the designated number, and displays each of the equally divided sections as sub-areas 80 on the overall display DT.

FIG. 9 illustrates the entire display DT when nine sub-areas 80 are specified. The area of each subarea 80 is the same. The vehicle storage area 5 is partitioned into a grid with straight lines (partition lines L2) along the latitude and longitude. However, the shape of the vehicle storage area 5 varies. Moreover, the parking position of the vehicle 4 is also various. Therefore, it is difficult to appropriately set the sub-area 80 simply by equally dividing the area.

Therefore, it is preferable to allow the operator to adjust the position of the demarcation line L2. For example, the operator looks at the entire display DT as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9 and moves the end of the demarcation line L2 so that the sub-area 80 is appropriately set. Accordingly, the division line L2 can be adjusted by moving it vertically, horizontally, or by tilting it.

The sub-area 80 may be automatically set based on the congestion state of the vehicles 4 . That is, in the vehicle storage area 5, like the parking area 70 described above, the vehicles 4 are generally parked together to some extent. Therefore, based on the state of congestion of vehicles 4, an appropriate sub-area 80 can be automatically set.

FIG. 10 shows a specific example thereof. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part of FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 , in the vehicle storage area 5 , a plurality of parking areas 70 are adjacent to each other via tracks 71 . The width of the track 71 is set to a size (for example, 3 m) that allows the vehicle 4 to pass. On the other hand, in the parking area 70, the vehicles 4 are parked in a dense state. Therefore, the space between adjacent vehicles 4 is narrow.

Therefore, the server 1 performs a process of calculating the distance (vehicle distance) between adjacent vehicles 4 for all the vehicles 4 parked in the vehicle storage area 5 . The vehicle interval referred to here is the actual interval between the vehicles 4, not the interval between the marks M1.

At this time, when the vehicle 4 is adjacent to the vehicle 4 in only one of the front, rear, left, and right directions, there may be a plurality of vehicle intervals of different sizes (for example, V1 and V2 in FIG. 10). , V3). In such a case, the server 1 adopts the smallest interval (for example, G1, G2, and G3 in FIG. 10) as the vehicle interval for that vehicle 4 .

Then, the server 1 identifies a group of vehicles 4 that are stopped in close proximity and whose vehicle interval is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The parking area 70 can be automatically set as a sub-area 80 by setting a predetermined value, such as 2 m, in consideration of the vehicle intervals G1, G2, G3 and the passage width G4.

The set subarea 80 can be reset. For example, the inside of a subarea 80 displayed on the screen of the display 34 may be touched to reset. The setting of the sub-area 80 may be performed by any one of the plurality of methods described above, or may be performed by combining these methods. A method other than the method described above may be used. In this embodiment, it is assumed that five sub-areas 80 consisting of A to E are set.

When the subarea 80 is set by the operator's operation, the terminal device 2 outputs a command C4 to the server 1 based on the setting (step ST4). When the command C4 is input, the server 1 executes processing for setting a sub-area 80 in the vehicle storage area 5 as data (step SS3).

Step ST4 in the terminal device 2 and step SS3 in the server 1 correspond to the sub-area setting process described above. Note that if the entire sub-area setting process is automatically performed, the overall display process is unnecessary and can be omitted. Similarly, the processing of step ST4 in the terminal device 2 can also be omitted.

When the sub-areas 80 are set, the server 1 executes a process of extracting the charging required vehicles 4' in each sub-area 80 (step SS4).

Specifically, the server 1 identifies the voltage value of the battery 4a of the vehicle 4 parked in each set sub-area 80 based on the acquired battery voltage information of each vehicle 4 . Then, the server 1 determines whether or not the battery 4a needs to be charged based on these voltage values. For example, a battery 4a with a voltage lower than 12.6V is determined to require charging.

A reference value (a voltage value or a value corresponding to the voltage value) for judging the necessity of charging is set in advance in the server 1 . By comparing with the reference value, the server 1 extracts vehicles 4 that require charging (vehicles that require charging 4 ′) in each of the sub-areas 80 .

Step SS4 in the server 1 corresponds to the target extraction process described above.

After performing the target extraction process, the server 1 and the terminal device 2 perform the first display process. That is, the server 1 generates the first display D1 (more specifically, data for displaying the first display D1) that displays the determination information regarding the charging required vehicle 4' (step SS5). Then, the data D2 of the generated first display D1 is transmitted to the terminal device 2. FIG. When the terminal device 2 receives the data D2 of the first display D1 from the server 1, the first display D1 is displayed on the display 34 of the terminal device 2 in a state of being divided into each sub-area 80 (step ST5).

FIG. 11 shows an example of the first display D1. Five set sub-areas 80 (A to E) are displayed in the first display D1. In the first display D1, the plurality of sub-areas 80 are illustrated in a map-like manner while maintaining their mutual positional relationships for easy visual determination. Also, in the first display D1, the shape of each sub-area 80 is displayed in a simplified manner such as by a rectangular frame.

The size of each sub-area 80 may be expressed as being proportional to the actual area of each sub-area 80 . This makes it easier to visually identify the size of each sub-area 80 . Also, the size of each sub-area 80 may be expressed in proportion to the number of vehicles 4 parked in each sub-area 80 . This makes it easier to visually identify the number of vehicles 4 in each sub-area 80 . In either case, narrowing down the sub-area 80 to be managed is facilitated.

The size of the sub-areas 80 described above or the number of parked vehicles 4 may be identified by coloring each sub-area 80 and using the shade of the color. In this case as well, it is possible to make the identification easier visually. Note that the first display D1 displayed on the display 34 can be enlarged and reduced in the same manner as the full display DT.

As information for narrowing down the sub-areas 80 targeted for management work, determination information regarding the charging required vehicle 4' is displayed in each of the sub-areas 80 displayed in the first display D1. The determination information includes the number of vehicles 4 (vehicle count) of the vehicles 4 ′ requiring charging in each sub-area 80 and the minimum voltage value of the batteries 4 a of the vehicles 4 ′ requiring charging in each sub-area 80 .

Specifically, in each sub-area 80, the number of vehicles 4 that are vehicles 4' to be charged parked in the same sub-area 80 is displayed. For example, in the sub-area 80(A), since there are no vehicles 4' requiring charging, the number of vehicles is displayed as "0". In the sub-area 80(D), since there are five vehicles 4' requiring charging, the number of vehicles is displayed as "5". This display makes it possible to easily predict the time required for management work.

Furthermore, each sub-area 80 also displays the lowest voltage value (minimum voltage value) of the battery 4a among the vehicles 4' to be charged parked in the same sub-area 80. FIG. For example, in the sub-area 80(C), since there is only one vehicle 4' requiring charging, the voltage value (12.0 V) of the battery 4a is displayed. The sub-area 80 (D) displays the lowest voltage value (10.8V) of the battery 4a among the five vehicles 4' to be charged. The lower the voltage value, the higher the need for charging. Therefore, from this display, it is possible to determine the priority of the battery 4a that needs to be charged.

With such a first display D1, the operator can easily and efficiently narrow down the sub-areas 80 targeted for management work. That is, as described above, the vehicle storage area 5 is vast. Therefore, if the entire system is to be managed, workers must walk around a long distance. Therefore, the physical burden on the worker is heavy, and work efficiency is poor.

In contrast, in this support method, a plurality of small sub-areas 80 are set in advance in the vehicle storage area 5 . Further, from among these sub-areas 80, the sub-areas 80 (management sub-areas 80a) to be managed are narrowed down based on the determination information regarding the charging required vehicle 4'. This eliminates the need for workers to walk long distances. Management work can also be consolidated. Therefore, the physical burden on the worker can be reduced, and work efficiency can be improved. In the case of a plurality of workers, it is possible to easily set the assignment of each worker, which is also advantageous.

When the first display D1 is displayed on the display 34 of the terminal device 2, the operator looks at the first display D1 and narrows down the management sub-area 80a. Then, the operator touches the management subarea 80a displayed on the display 34. FIG. In other words, the operator uses the display 34 to input a command to select the management subarea 80a to the terminal device 2 . Then, the terminal device 2 selects the management sub-area 80a narrowed down, and transmits data D3 specifying the management sub-area 80a to the server 1 (step ST6).

Here, it is assumed that the subarea 80(E) has been narrowed down as the management subarea 80a. Step SS5 in the server 1 and steps ST5 and ST6 in the terminal device 2 correspond to the first display process described above.

After performing the first display process, the server 1 and the terminal device 2 perform the second display process. That is, the server 1 displays the second display D2 (specifically, the data for displaying the second display D2) displaying the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information of the vehicle 4' to be charged parked in the management sub-area 80a. ) is generated (step SS6). Then, the data D4 of the generated second display D2 is transmitted to the terminal device 2. FIG. When the terminal device 2 receives the data D4 of the second display D2 from the server 1, the terminal device 2 displays the second display D2 on the display 34 of the terminal device 2 (step ST7).

FIG. 12 shows an example of the second display D2. As described above, since the sub-area 80(E) is selected as the management sub-area 80a in the first display D1, the position of the vehicle 4 parked in the sub-area 80(E) is displayed in the second display D2. are shown on the display 34 in the form of a map, including the position of the vehicle 4' to be charged. The second display D2 displayed on the display 34 can be enlarged and reduced in the same manner as the full display DT and the first display D1.

Each vehicle 4 is displayed in a simplified state as an icon I, including its forward/backward and left/right directions. The positional relationship of the icon I of each vehicle 4 is displayed in the same manner as the actual vehicle 4 based on the vehicle position information. The vehicle type name is displayed in the icon I of each vehicle 4 based on the vehicle identification information. The icon I of each vehicle 4 is colored based on the vehicle identification information. That is, the icon I of each vehicle 4 is displayed in a color corresponding to the actual body color of the vehicle 4 .

The second display D2 does not display the vehicle identification number. Direct contact with the vehicle 4 is required to identify the vehicle identification number. On the other hand, the vehicle type and the color of the vehicle body can be identified without touching the vehicle 4 directly. Therefore, since the vehicle 4 can be determined from a distance, the operator can easily find the vehicle 4' requiring charging.

The icon Ic of the vehicle to be charged 4' is further highlighted, such as drawn with a thick line. The icon Ic of the vehicle 4' requiring charging is particularly set so that a balloon B is displayed. Then, in the balloon B, the vehicle model name, vehicle body color, and voltage value of the battery 4a regarding the charging required vehicle 4' are displayed.

The vehicle model name is not displayed for all the vehicles 4 parked in the management subarea 80a, but together with the vehicle model name of the vehicle 4' requiring charging, the vehicle model names of the vehicles 4 adjacent to the vehicle 4' requiring charging are displayed. may be displayed. Even if the model name and body color of the vehicle 4' to be charged are specified, if there is a vehicle 4 with the same model name and body color in the management subarea 80a, the vehicle 4' to be charged is found from a distance. It is difficult.

On the other hand, if the model name and body color of the vehicle 4 adjacent to the vehicle 4' to be charged can be specified together with the vehicle model name and body color of the vehicle 4' to be charged, a combination of a plurality of vehicles 4 can be specified. . Therefore, the vehicle 4' requiring charging can be found even from a distance. It suffices that one or more vehicles 4 are adjacent to the charging required vehicle 4' and display the model name. Compared to displaying all the vehicles 4 parked in the management sub-area 80a, the display amount is reduced, so there is an advantage that the information processing load is reduced and the information is easy to see.

The vehicle type name may also be displayed when the second display D2 is enlarged to a predetermined size or larger. When the management sub-area 80a is large, or when there are many vehicles 4 parked in the management sub-area 80a, it may be difficult to see the vehicle type name when the entire management sub-area 80a is displayed on the display 34. .

In such cases, the display of the vehicle model name does not work. Displaying a large number of small car model names may make it difficult to see the second display D2. On the other hand, if the vehicle type name is displayed when the second display D2 is enlarged to a predetermined size or more, the vehicle type name can be visually recognized, and the second display D2 can also be made easy to see.

After performing the second display process, the server 1 and the terminal device 2 perform the guidance process according to the need of the operator. That is, the guidance process is not an essential process in the support method. The guidance process is executed when the operator requests guidance to the charging-requiring vehicle 4' and a command therefor is input.

Specifically, as indicated by the mark M2 in FIG. 12, the current position of the worker is displayed on the second display D2. Since the worker carries the terminal device 2, the current position of the worker can be specified in real time based on the terminal position information. The terminal device 2 displays the mark M2 on the second display D2 while the second display D2 is being displayed. The mark M2 moves according to changes in the current position of the worker.

In the guidance process, an optimum route (walking route) from the terminal device 2 to the charging required vehicle 4' is calculated based on the vehicle position information and the terminal position information of the charging required vehicle 4'. Then, the route is displayed on the second display D2.

As shown in FIG. 12, the second display D2 displays a button S1 for executing the guidance process. When the operator touches the button S1, the terminal device 2 outputs the data D5 of the terminal position information and the command C5 instructing display of the route to the server 1 (step ST8).

When the data D5 and the command C5 are input, the server 1, based on the vehicle position information of each charging required vehicle 4' parked in the management sub-area 80a and the input terminal position information, determines these charging required vehicles. An optimum route that can be taken around each of the vehicles 4' is calculated. After calculating the route, the server 1 outputs the route data D6 to the terminal device 2 (step SS7).

The route can be, for example, a route around vehicles 4' requiring charging in descending order of the voltage value of the battery 4a. With this route, the battery 4a, which is likely to be irreversibly deteriorated, can be charged first. Therefore, more appropriate collective management of the batteries 4a can be performed.

The route can also be a route that is the shortest and rounds the charging vehicle 4'. This route minimizes the amount of walking for the operator. Therefore, the worker's labor and travel time can be reduced.

These routes may be selected by the operator. For example, after the operator touches the button, any one of a route around the vehicles 4' requiring charging in descending order of the voltage value of the battery 4a and a route around the vehicles 4' requiring charging in the shortest distance. A display for selecting one route (route selection display) is displayed on the display 34 . Then, when the worker selects any one route on the route selection display, the terminal device 2 outputs the information to the server 1 together with the terminal position information D5 and the command C5.

When the route data D6 is input, the terminal device 2 shows the route on the second display D2 displayed on the display 34 based on the data D6 (step ST9).

FIG. 13 illustrates a second display D2 illustrating the route. In FIG. 13, the route around the vehicles 4' requiring charging in descending order of the voltage value of the battery 4a is indicated by a thick solid arrow Y2. A mark M3 indicating the turn order is displayed on the icon Ic of the vehicle 4' to be charged. For example, in the management sub-area 80a shown in FIG. 13, there are three vehicles 4' requiring charging. Among them, the charging required vehicle 4' located in the top row has the lowest voltage value of the battery 4a. Therefore, the icon Ic of the vehicle 4' requiring charging is displayed with the "No. 1" mark M3.

A second display D2 shows a route for charging vehicles 4' by arrows Y2 along the route and marks M3 indicating the order of the route. The worker can easily grasp the route visually. Therefore, working efficiency is improved.

Arrow Y3 indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 13 is an example of a shortest route that goes around charging-required vehicles 4'. When the operator selects the shortest route around the charging required vehicle 4', the route indicated by the dashed arrow Y3 is displayed in a thick solid line. The order of the tours will be changed accordingly.

When the second display D2 is displayed on the display 34 of the terminal device 2, the operator selects the charging required vehicle 4' to be managed based on the second display D2. For example, in the second display D2 shown in FIG. 12 or 13, the operator performs an operation of touching the icon Ic of the vehicle 4' requiring charging or the balloon B thereof.

Then, the terminal device 2 selects the charging required vehicle 4' and displays the third display D3 displaying the vehicle information of the charging required vehicle 4' on the display 34 (step ST10). FIG. 14 exemplifies the screen of the display 34 displaying the third display D3.

FIG. 14 shows the third display D3 when the charging required vehicle 4' located in the top row in FIG. 12 or 13 is selected. The third display D3 displays the vehicle identification number, the vehicle type name, the color of the vehicle body, and the voltage value of the battery 4a mounted in the charging required vehicle 4' as the vehicle information of the charging required vehicle 4'. be.

When an operation is performed to touch the screen on which the third display D3 is displayed, the terminal device 2 displays the original screen of the second display D2. Therefore, the operator can switch the display between the second display D2 and the third display D3 as required. Based on the third display D3, the operator can check the vehicle information of the selected charging-requiring vehicle 4'. Since it becomes easy to specify the vehicle 4' that needs to be charged, work efficiency is improved.

The third display D3 further displays a button S2 for turning on the hazard lamps. When the button S2 is touched, the terminal device 2 outputs to the server 1 a command C6 for turning on the hazard lamps of the identified vehicle 4' requiring charging (step ST11). When the command C6 is input, the server 1 outputs a command C7 for turning on the hazard lamps to the corresponding charging required vehicle 4' (step SS8).

When the command C7 is input, the charging required vehicle 4' (in-vehicle device 4d) turns on the hazard lamps (step SV2). By turning on the hazard lamps, the operator can easily find out the charging-requiring vehicle 4' to be managed.

A horn (honk) may be operated along with lighting of the hazard lamps or instead of lighting the hazard lamps. This also makes it possible to easily find the vehicle 4' in need of charging. It should be noted that the terminal device 2 may directly output the command to turn on the hazard lamps to the identified vehicle 4' in need of charging, rather than via the server 1. FIG.

When the operator finds the charging vehicle 4' to be managed, the operator checks the charging vehicle 4' and charges the battery 4a. This is efficient because the confirmation work and the charging of the battery 4a can be performed at the same time.

The charging of the battery 4a may be normal charging by driving the engine, or may be rapid charging using a dedicated charger. In the case of normal charging, it takes a long time to charge, but in the case of quick charging, it can be done in a short time.

In the case of normal charging by driving the engine, the vehicle 4 may be directly operated to start the engine, or the engine may be started by remote control. For example, the operator operates the display 34 to request the terminal device 2 to start the engine. By this operation, the terminal device 2 instructs the vehicle to be charged 4' to start the engine via the server 1 or directly. Based on the instruction, the charging required vehicle 4' starts the engine.

Since the operator starts the engine while directly checking the vehicle 4, even if trouble occurs, it can be dealt with immediately. In addition, since the state of the vehicle 4' to be charged and the state of the surroundings of the vehicle 4' to be charged can be checked, the possibility of trouble occurring after the engine is started can also be checked. Therefore, safety can be ensured during charging of the battery 4a.

It is preferable to automatically stop the engine by remote control if the stable start of the engine and the subsequent safety can be confirmed. For example, after the engine is started, the server 1 periodically acquires the battery voltage information from the charging required vehicle 4'. Then, when the voltage value of the battery 4a reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, the server 1 instructs the charging required vehicle 4' to stop the engine. Based on the instruction, the charging required vehicle 4' stops the engine.

In this way, the operator can start managing the next charging-requiring vehicle 4' without waiting for the completion of charging the battery 4a. Since the work time per unit can be shortened, the work efficiency is improved.

As described above, the assistance method disclosed in the present embodiment can efficiently narrow down the vehicles 4 that actually require handling even if there are a large number of vehicles 4 to be managed. Therefore, the work efficiency in collectively managing the batteries 4a is improved, and the work load can be reduced.

The battery 4a can be charged while directly checking the vehicle 4. - 特許庁Therefore, since the battery 4a can be charged at the same time as checking the vehicle 4, work efficiency is excellent. It is also possible to shorten the time required for charging the battery 4a. Safety can also be ensured. In this way, according to the disclosed assistance direction, effective assistance can be realized for collective management of the batteries 4a mounted on each of the plurality of vehicles 4. FIG.

Note that the technology disclosed is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various other configurations.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the terminal device 2 communicates with each of the plurality of vehicles 4 via the server 1 as an example. However, the terminal device 2 may communicate directly with each of the plurality of vehicles 4 without going through the server 1 .

A plurality of terminal devices may be used. By doing so, a plurality of workers can collectively manage the batteries more efficiently.

1 server 2 terminal device 3 network 4 vehicle 4' vehicle requiring charging 4a battery 5 vehicle storage area 80 subarea 80a management subarea D1 first display D2 second display D3 third display

Claims (9)

A method for supporting collective management of batteries installed in each of a plurality of vehicles parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area, comprising:
obtaining vehicle information from each of the vehicles, including vehicle identification information that enables identification of the vehicle; vehicle location information that enables the location of the vehicle; and battery voltage information regarding the voltage of the battery. ,
setting a plurality of sub-areas in the vehicle storage area;
extracting a vehicle requiring charging from among the plurality of vehicles based on the battery voltage information;
causing a predetermined portable terminal device to display a first display that displays the determination information regarding the vehicle requiring charging in a state of being divided into each of the sub-areas;
When a predetermined operation is performed on the terminal device based on the first display, the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information are displayed for the vehicle requiring charging in the management sub-area selected from the sub-areas. causing the terminal device to display a second display of The method of claim 1, wherein
the determination information includes a minimum voltage value, which is the lowest voltage value of the battery among the vehicles to be charged parked in the same sub-area;
A method, wherein said lowest voltage value is displayed in each of said sub-areas in said first display. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
the determination information includes the number of vehicles requiring charging parked in the same sub-area;
A method, wherein the number of vehicles requiring charging is displayed in each of the sub-areas in the first display. In the method according to any one of claims 1-3,
causing the terminal device to map the positions of the vehicles parked in the management sub-area, including the positions of the vehicles requiring charging, when displaying the second display on the terminal device;
displaying the vehicle identification information of the vehicles adjacent to the vehicle to be charged together with the vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged. The method according to any one of claims 1-4,
causing the terminal device to map the positions of the vehicles parked in the management sub-area, including the positions of the vehicles requiring charging, when displaying the second display on the terminal device;
Acquiring terminal location information from the terminal device that enables the location of the terminal device to be specified;
When a predetermined operation is performed on the terminal device, a route from the terminal device to the vehicle to be charged is calculated based on the vehicle position information of the vehicle to be charged and the terminal position information, and the route is calculated. causing the second display to display. The method according to any one of claims 1-5,
causing the terminal device to map the positions of all the vehicles parked in the vehicle storage area;
The method, wherein setting of at least one of the sub-areas is performed by operating the terminal device based on the drawing. The method according to any one of claims 1-6,
calculating, for all the vehicles parked in the vehicle storage area, the distance between adjacent vehicles;
A method, wherein at least one of said plurality of sub-areas is established by identifying a group of said vehicles parked in close proximity such that said distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value. A server that supports collective management of batteries installed in each of a plurality of vehicles parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area,
each of the plurality of vehicles and portable predetermined terminal devices, an interface that enables input and output of predetermined vehicle information via a network;
a memory that stores the vehicle information and a predetermined control program;
a processor that processes the vehicle information by executing the control program;
with
The vehicle information includes vehicle storage area information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle storage area, vehicle identification information that enables identification of the vehicle, vehicle location information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle, and including battery voltage information about the voltage of said battery;
the processor
In cooperation with the terminal device,
a process of obtaining the information by requesting each of the vehicles to output the vehicle identification information, the vehicle position information, and the battery voltage information based on a command input from the terminal device;
a process of setting a plurality of sub-areas in the vehicle storage area based on the vehicle storage area information;
a process of extracting a vehicle requiring charging from among the plurality of vehicles based on the battery voltage information;
a process of causing the terminal device to display a first display that displays the determination information about the vehicle requiring charging in a state divided into each of the sub-areas;
a second display for displaying the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information for the vehicle requiring charging in the management sub-area selected from the sub-areas when a predetermined command is input from the terminal device; Processing to display on the terminal device,
A server that runs A portable terminal device that supports collective management of batteries installed in each of a plurality of vehicles parked in a predetermined vehicle storage area,
a predetermined server, an interface that enables input/output of predetermined vehicle information via a network;
a memory that stores the vehicle information and a predetermined control program;
a processor that processes the vehicle information by executing the control program;
a display for displaying information processed by the processor;
a device capable of inputting a command for requesting the processor to execute a predetermined process;
with
The vehicle information includes vehicle storage area information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle storage area, vehicle identification information that enables identification of the vehicle, vehicle location information that enables identification of the location of the vehicle, and including battery voltage information about the voltage of said battery;
the processor
In cooperation with the server,
a process of obtaining the information by requesting each of the vehicles to output the vehicle identification information, the vehicle position information, and the battery voltage information based on a command input from the device;
a process of setting a plurality of sub-areas in the vehicle storage area based on the vehicle storage area information;
a process of extracting a vehicle requiring charging from among the plurality of vehicles based on the battery voltage information;
a process of causing the display to display a first display in which the determination information regarding the vehicle requiring charging is displayed in a state divided into each of the sub-areas;
The device displays the vehicle identification information and the vehicle position information for the vehicle requiring charging in a management sub-area selected from the sub-areas when a predetermined command is input based on the first display. a process of displaying a second display on the display;
A terminal device that runs

Images